Poolwear

Johnnyt

Johnnyt

Burn all jump cues
Silver Member
I brought my laptop down to a park a few blocks from my house the other day to do some writing and get the hell out of the house for awhile. While I was there I noticed almost all the recreational players on the basketball court were dressed in basketball attire. Either they had numbered shirts, some with a pro players name on the back. They all had expensive sneakers, nice running shorts or sweat pants on. Even though they weren?t a team they all looked like high school or college basketball players and almost all were clean cut looking.

This got me thinking, so I jumped in the car and drove to a local bowling ally to see how they dressed. Almost every bowler was dressed in bowling attire. On the way home I passed the golf course. All the golfers that I saw had golf attire on and looked neat and clean. Other recreational sports the players dress for the sport. Like sking,volleyball, running, gym, tennis, biking, snowboarding, and many more. Even bass fishermen and some salt water fishermen dress in gear made for that sport/hobby.

Then I drove over to the local poolroom. All I saw was flip flops, old faded t-shirts with names of rock stars other things non-pool related on them. A good percentage of them had baseball caps on and turned backwards. None had anything to do with pool. If you took these people out of the poolroom you would not guess any were pool players.

Now I like to be comfortable at all times and that goes for when I played pool, but most of the time I wore a collared shirt and clean looking jeans or slacks. If I wore a t-shirt or sweat shirt to a poolroom more than likely it had a pool theme on it.

I think the bigger sportswear companies that sell pool attire should start giving some free out to the pros to wear. Maybe then more pool players would copy them and dress for pool. After all most change starts at the top.

Part of my point is that people walk in a poolroom for the first time and look arournd at how the guys are dressed and get the wrong impression right from the start. Johnnyt
 
Johnnyt said:
I brought my laptop down to a park a few blocks from my house the other day to do some writing and get the hell out of the house for awhile. While I was there I noticed almost all the recreational players on the basketball court were dressed in basketball attire. Either they had numbered shirts, some with a pro players name on the back. They all had expensive sneakers, nice running shorts or sweat pants on. Even though they weren?t a team they all looked like high school or college basketball players and almost all were clean cut looking.

This got me thinking, so I jumped in the car and drove to a local bowling ally to see how they dressed. Almost every bowler was dressed in bowling attire. On the way home I passed the golf course. All the golfers that I saw had golf attire on and looked neat and clean. Other recreational sports the players dress for the sport. Like sking,volleyball, running, gym, tennis, biking, snowboarding, and many more. Even bass fishermen and some salt water fishermen dress in gear made for that sport/hobby.

Then I drove over to the local poolroom. All I saw was flip flops, old faded t-shirts with names of rock stars other things non-pool related on them. A good percentage of them had baseball caps on and turned backwards. None had anything to do with pool. If you took these people out of the poolroom you would not guess any were pool players.

Now I like to be comfortable at all times and that goes for when I played pool, but most of the time I wore a collared shirt and clean looking jeans or slacks. If I wore a t-shirt or sweat shirt to a poolroom more than likely it had a pool theme on it.

I think the bigger sportswear companies that sell pool attire should start giving some free out to the pros to wear. Maybe then more pool players would copy them and dress for pool. After all most change starts at the top.

Part of my point is that people walk in a poolroom for the first time and look arournd at how the guys are dressed and get the wrong impression right from the start. Johnnyt
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On the contrary, I think "pool attire" has begun to emerge a bit. Polos have become very popular among competing players and IMO, have a very neat look. Competitions like the BCA Championships require something along this style and a lot of the vendors will sell their shirts in polo style.
 
Pool is different from these other sports.

I know this will get responses that we are a "seedy" sport, but the reason that all the players I know don't wear pool attire is that they don't want people to know that they know how to play pool. I would think the last thing a road guy or good player would want is for someone with him to be seen in theme type clothing.

I know it was a movie, but Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes didn't dress like you describe in "White Men Can't Jump". I know it was a movie, but movies today are as realistic as possible.

I agree with Jude that times are changing, and hopefully it won't be long before pool is on par with other big time sports. But the ways that it is different is what attracted me to the game in the first place.

Mike
 
i cann't help but comment on this. like mike said, pool isn't like those other sports you are trying to compare it to. ou tof all of them, the closest i would say is bowling, but really, when i go to a bowling alley, the only common theme clothes i usually see are the shoes, but those can really be more closely equated with our cues. i think if you going to try and make this comparison, you would be better off using poker. and guess what, all those poker players are wearing the same rock t-shirts and faded jeans as pool players, and the game is considered seady as well.

i hate to be the one to break this to everyone, but attire and perspective of the subculter isn't the issue. LEts not forget, this game is played in bars. bars are where people drink and smoke and relax and blow off steam. if anythign is hurting the game, i think its everyoen and thier uncle trying to force certain attire on the players to so call "clena up" the image. if the image was the problem, do you really think you would be able to turn on an numbe rof a dozone channels at any time of the day and see people wearing t-shirts and sweatshirts and jeans playing poker? no.

i think the larger issue is with the common joe to be able to relate. you stick some stuff in a suit or tux on tv makin gincredible shots, the avg person cann't relate to that and says to himself "i can never do that. look at them, they are so graceful and clean cut, that could never be me" where poker on the other hand. those guys look just like anyone and anyone can get lucky and win big.

but then again, these are just my opinions. what do i know. so i guess bring on the flames. :P
 
"I don't need no stinkin' pool attire."
Clothing is a red herring, it makes people think a conman is on the up and up (can we say KT). Once I walk out of work I switch to jeans and a t-shirt (if it's cold a sweatshirt), that's it no matter what activity I'm engaged in. I know a lot more people dressed in t-shirts that I trust than dressed in clothes with little crocodiles embossed on them.
Clothes don't make the man, they hide the man.
 
Im with Jonny..

I just recently started to wear more pool related attire when going to the pool hall. I used to be self conscious about wearing a shirt that says "stakehorse wanted" but then wondered why i bought it in the first place?

i think that wearing pool related clothing just says "hey i like pool and im proud to spend a few bucks on a shirt to support my sport"

What would really be cool is if the clothing companies would market a paticular look, style, whatever to a certain player. Then maybe you would get more players trying to emulate this player.

I just think Johnny is on to something here... and to those that say pool players live in deception and dont want others to know, they know anything about how to play pool, in hopes to not ruin their action or something.

I think if you can play and want action you definitely should be wearing a shirt that makes you look like you're the KING OF POOL. Thats the best way to drum up action. The guys that make the biggest scores are the guys that say " Hey im better than you and any player in this town " . You cant win any $$ by playing a guy and decieving him and expect him to keep going. You look for the greedy guys and you challenge their egos. ;)
 
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